Help about raising chickens please?

Question

for egg laying chickens do i need a rooster ,do they need shots is there anything i need to know besides having a coop and a good pin . also on chickens raised for meat anything special i should know can i keep roasters seprate untill i want them to mate do they need shots what age do you eat them and are they hard to clean ( to eat ) also how often do you clean there coopand nest and can they be keep with rabbits thank you

Answer 1

No you dont need a rooster. the hen can lay eggs without  a rooster.

Answer 2

Hens can lay eggs without benefit of a rooster but if you want to produce your own chicks then you will need one or more depending on how many females you need serviced and how many generations you plan your breeding to go. One rooster can easily serve five to eight hens but if you plan on keeping your flock for more than a couple of generations you might rather have five or six roosters to serve two or three hens each. You could just borrow or rent a rooster from a neighbor instead of keeping your own. Get them from different neighbors each generation to keep the gene-pool varied and select YOUR best hens for breeding. Make sure these roosters are for layers and not for meat birds. Keep any roosters separate from the hens until you want the hens bred. This may take time as they may not be ready to mate when you are.

Poultry do need vaccinations and sometimes supplements intravenously yes. This a question for your local livestock veterinarian. He/she will give you the best advice for your region and breeds/species.

Chickens can be eaten at any time in their development.

Layers that have gotten old and run-down are often used for breeding if they were really good layers but they are often made into soup stock, or cooked inot casseroles. Slow-cooking methods will be best as they tend to a tad tough and gamey.

Meat birds and roosters can all be eaten at any time but will be at their best when they are young. This is a judgement call on your part. If you are raising birds for sale to food-markets you might want to ask the opinions of the prospective clients.

This site can help you get a video about it which might be the best answer for you: http://www.chickenvideo.com/butchering.h...

My family always kept rabbits and chickens together in the same small building. If you don't want the chickens to eat the rabbit poo then don't do this but I've never noticed any real difference in flavor. Just make sure they are getting a balanced menu always that includes some "free-range".

Free-range means the birds get outside and hunt and peck for part of their diet. They eat bugs, sprouts and shoots, berries, seeds etc. If you live in a heavily trafficked area you might want to provide a wire-mesh boundary against the road.